


The Best Thing I Almost Never Had.

by complicatednarry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, Porn with Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-13 00:53:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9098356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/complicatednarry/pseuds/complicatednarry
Summary: "It’s not that Niall doesn’t want to see Nick. In fact he’d very much like to see Nick. It’s just that the last time he saw him didn’t end on the best note. To put it in a sentence, Niall’s fairly sure Nick think he’s a giant wuss with no backbone and potentially homophobic. God, Niall hopes that he doesn’t think that."In which Niall wants Nick but maybe think Nick hates him but Harry brings them together one day and the rest is history etc.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is super short and really just a bit of fun taken with a lot a license but I've been wanting to toy around with Nick and Niall for a while so this is my first stab at it. I hope the rest of the 0.4% of you who like this pairing enjoy!

‘I thought we were hanging out today,’ Niall is pissed off. It wasn’t even Niall’s idea that they hang out in the first place. He had been steeling himself for Harry to not speak to him for another six months again, yet here they are both in London for once and Harry suggested they get together. 

‘We are!’ Harry insists. ‘It’s just that we’ll be doing it at Nick’s house. And Nick’ll be there too.’

Niall exhales in annoyance. 

‘You like Nick!!’ Harry projects loudly. 

‘I do,’ he agrees. ‘It’s just that, don’t you have enough time at the moment to not treat your friends like two birds and one stone?’

Harry rolls his eyes but doesn’t respond and that’s that. 

It’s not that Niall doesn’t want to see Nick. In fact he’d very much like to see Nick. It’s just that the last time he saw him didn’t end on the best note. To put it in a sentence, Niall’s fairly sure Nick think he’s a giant wuss with no backbone and potentially homophobic. God, Niall hopes that he doesn’t think that. 

The last time they’d seen each other had actually been during a night out. Their respective groups had happened to run into one another in the same club and after much tequila and a lot of banter, Nick had jokingly kissed him. The more Niall replays the encounter in his mind, the more he’s certain that it had been nothing more than a friend pecking a friend on the side of the mouth after one too many drinks. 

The problem is that Niall ran off like a scared school girl and ignored every one of Nick’s six texts to check on him until he gave up. The other minor issue is that Niall hasn’t thought of anything but kissing Nick again since. 

***

Because Nick’s Nick, and he’s great, the evening goes by without any awkward interactions. 

‘You want another beer?’ Niall asks, interrupting another of Harry’s annoying stories about some girl he’s been sleeping with. Niall has no idea how Harry manages to tell a totally sleazy story and make it sound charming. 

‘Yeah, thank you,’ Harry replies. 

‘I’ll clear some of this stuff away,’ Nick says, grabbing some plates and following behind Niall. 

‘So, how’ve you been Horan?’ Nick asks after he’s been loading the dishwasher in the silence for long enough. 

‘Uh, I’ve been good. You?’ he answers after a moment, staring down intently at the cap he’s just taken off the beer bottle.

‘Niall?’

‘Hm?’ he says, forcing himself to look up at him. 

‘Come on. Does this really have to be as awkward as you’re making it?’

‘I’m sorry,’ Niall replies, trying to find his voice. 

‘I don’t want you to apologise.’

‘What do you want then?’ Nick asks, in a tone as annoyed as you will probably ever hear coming from Nick Grimshaw. 

‘I should be the one apologising,’ Niall says, quietly. ‘The way I reacted, it was stupid,’

‘Oh forget it,’ Nick says flippantly. ‘Think it’s the first time I’ve had a straight boy freak out on my hands?’

Niall tries to smile tightly as Nick takes one of the beers from Niall’s hands and ends their conversation by walking back to the living room. 

**

‘I gotta go,’ Harry says, a few hours later while shooting off a quickly typed to text to someone and getting up. 

Nick and Niall both seem equally unsurprised and unimpressed. It's just typical Harry. 

Harry looks up. ‘You don’t mind do you?’ 

‘I never do,’ Nick replies, good naturedly. 

Harry grins, leans down and kisses Nick square on the mouth. Niall hates him in that second, how he can do that so casually and have it not be an issue, no one says anything. Nothing phases Harry or the people he surrounds himself with. Niall’s always been jealous of that. 

‘I’ll text you tomorrow,’ Harry says, making it unclear which of them he’s talking to. 

He kisses the top of Niall’s head as he walks behind him. ‘Love you both!!’ he calls just before he shuts the door with a bang behind him. 

‘Suppose I should head off too then,’ Niall says, draining the last of his beer. 

‘You don’t have to, it’s still early,’ Nick says, seemingly earnest. 

Niall’s not sure what he wants really, but finds himself agreeing to another drink.

**

‘Harry and I were never….’ Niall’s listening to Nick say many beers later. 

‘Never?’ Niall’s shocked. He hates himself for letting this conversation happen but his inhibitions have been lowered and he found he couldn’t not ask when the situation presented itself.

‘No, I mean we did…..we were….’ Nicks takes a breath in. ‘It was never a thing. We just fooled around for a while.’

‘How long?’ 

‘Why are you so interested?’

‘Please just tell me,’ Niall says, hating how desperate his voice comes out. 

Nick either doesn’t really mind talking about it or he gets it because he doesn’t press any further. 

‘On and off for about a year and a half during 2012 and 2013,’ Nick’s hands twist together. ‘We stopped while he allowed Swifty to fall in love with him of course.’

‘She know?’

‘Think she had her suspicions,’ Nick answers. ‘But she’s always pally when I see her so maybe she didn’t know much at all or she’s way more laid back than everyone gives her credit for.’

‘So what happened after that?’

Nick looks amused at Niall’s eager curiosity but thankfully lets it slide and carries on. 

‘Well, he came back from that disastrous Caribbean holiday of theirs and we picked up where we left off.’

‘You were okay with that?’

‘It’s not like I’d had a constant empty bed and spent their relationship pining for him. We were never exclusive,’ he pauses. ‘But I never could say no to him.’

Jealousy burns in Niall’s stomach at the look on Nick’s face. 

‘Were—were you in love with him?’ Niall asking not really wanting the answer.

Nick pauses looking straight ahead. ‘Yes,’ he says it with so much certainty it makes Niall’s heart ache. ‘But isn’t everyone? There’s no one in Harry’s life that isn’t in love with him in some shape or form.’

Niall raises his eyebrows. 

‘Aren’t you?’

‘In love with Harry?’

Nick nods. 

‘I suppose,’ Niall agrees. 

Nick snorts. ‘You suppose.’

‘Yeah, I mean I always miss him when I’m not with him and I feel good when I’m around him…’

‘Exactly,’ Nick says a little too sharply and clears his throat awkwardly. 

‘That why you’re probing me for info then?’ Nick looks pointedly. ‘You want him and you want my advice.’

‘What?!! No!!’ Niall says defensively. 

‘No?’

‘Nick, no, I swear that’s not it,’ he almost wants to blurt out a lot more than he's saying but can’t quite make himself. 

‘Okay,’ Nick oddly smiles and is placated a lot more easily than Niall thought he would be. 

‘I’m sorry for asking you all this shit while we’re both drunk. Probably wasn’t the best idea,’ Niall says. 

‘Yeah, you bastard,’ Nick replies but there's no edge to his voice.

‘I guess, it’s just cause I know I’ll get an honest answer out of you.’

Nick looks at his pointedly but doesn’t reply. It makes Niall’s stomach flip. 

‘I’d better go.’

‘Stay,’ Nick says immediately and places his hand on Niall’s arm. 

Niall’s gives him a perplexed look. Really? After all of Niall’s nosy probing. 

‘Just to sleep,’ Nick says, sincerely and Niall caves immediately of course. Because the last thing he wants to do now is to go back to his empty house and because he likes the idea of being in Nick’s bed. 

They go up to Nick’s room in silence. Niall kicks off his shoes at the end of the bed as Nick is pulling back the covers and pulling a t-shirt over his head. He throws another t-shirt at Niall and he catches it in a daze because he’d quite happily wear Nick’s clothes to bed every night. They slide under the duvet together and Nick quickly turns off the lights. 

‘Night,’ Nick says in a tired voice. 

‘Night,’ Niall murmurs back. 

He lies there for what feels like an eternity, listening to Nick’s breathing slow down but can’t seem to fall asleep himself. He turns onto his side from his back to face Nick. Before he can stop himself he’s reaching out and running his fingertips down Nick’s chest through his shirt. He’s running his fingers down to reach the bottom of his t-shirt when Nick catches his hand. Shit, he’s woken him up. 

Nick’s breathing has become short and sharp again and his fingers trap Niall’s wrist. 

Niall gathers the courage to tilt his face up to Nick’s and a shiver runs down his spine as they lock eyes.

Niall’s glad Nick takes the hint and presses his lips against Niall’s. 

He doesn't let any time pass to berate himself for immediately being so turned on.‘T—tell me this is happening, tell me I’m not dreaming,’ Niall gasps out as Nick kisses his jaw.

‘Fuck, Horan,’ Nick stops, his lips red and swollen already. ‘You’re gonna give me a complex if you keep talking like that.’

Niall doesn’t respond. 

‘It’s happening,’ Nick tells him placing his hands on Niall’s shoulders before they slowly make their way to cup his jaw. ‘I want you.’

Niall whimpers and the reality of what’s happening hits Niall and he has a little wobble but before he can overthink it too much, Nick is kissing him again and that’s all he can focus on. 

‘You done this before?’ Nick asks. 

Niall really wishes he didn’t have to talk about that. 

‘Once,’ Niall replies. 

‘Like, you’ve fooled about with a guy once, or you’ve had sex with a guy once?’ 

‘Sex,’ Niall says, a heat rising from his neck. 

Nick nods and has an expression that Niall thinks means he’ll be asking all about that another time but right now he just pulls out the draw in his bedside table and pulls out lube and condoms and Niall breathes a sigh of relief. 

‘You’ve got a great arse,’ Nick mutters as he slips both of his large hands into Niall’s boxers and pulls them down his legs. ‘Turn over.’

Niall hears the cap open and before his stomach has time to flip at the prospect of what’s about to happen, he feels Nick’s first finger at his hole. Niall lets out an embarrassing and over the top moan as Nick’s knuckle pushes past his rim, and immediately hates himself for it. 

‘So Horan, tell me more about how many times you’ve thought about me doing this,’ Nick says with a teasing edge to his voice. 

‘Shut the fuck up and add another,’ Niall replies, embarrassed.

Nick laughs and obliges. ‘Okay, but you are going to tell me about it some time,’ he says as he crooks his fingers and Niall bites his lip to avoid another loud and overdramatic moan. 

After several minutes, a few more escaped moans and another finger Niall’s practically begging for Nick’s dick. 

Nick grabs a condom and lubes himself up while Niall turns onto his back. 

Nick raises an eyebrow. ‘You want it on your back?’

Niall nods, a flush springing to his cheeks. ‘That cool?’

‘Yeah, I prefer it anyway.’

Nick settles between Niall’s legs and nudges against his hole. 

‘You gotta breathe out too, Niall,’ he says and Niall does. 

They groan together as Niall adjusts to the stretch. 

‘Fuck, you’re tight.’

The initial press in reminds Niall of exactly how long it’s been since he last got to experience this. The only other time he ever has and how this time it’s even better than that time. 

The dull ache soon evaporates into a slow increasing build up of pleasure making Niall want to digs his heels in, scratch his nails down Nick’s back and push his head back into the pillow all at once. He does none of those things and instead bites his lip, too embarrassed to show Nick how much he’s wanted this and how good it is now he finally gets it. Pathetic really, he thinks, considering Nick’s actually currently inside him and that probably makes them way past the point of embarrassing themselves in front of each other. 

Nick carefully starts to increase the speed and Niall allows himself to let out a quiet groan which spurs Nick on a little more. 

He realises Nick’s panting slightly when he leans in for a kiss and he finds himself grinning against Nick’s mouth. 

‘You okay?’ Nick asks. 

‘Yeah, good, fuck,’ he answers through gritted teeth, desperate to get a hand on his dick now. 

Nick either reads his mind, or is experienced enough to know exactly what he wants because at that moment he slides his hand between them and wraps his hand around Niall’s dick, making the tight coil in Niall’s stomach start to unravel. 

Niall’s gasping for air and coming before he feels prepared and doesn’t even notice Nick follow suit just seconds after. 

He whimpers slightly as Nick pulls out, getting off the bed quickly to dispose of the condom. 

‘Alright?’ he asks quietly as he gets back in the bed with a wet towel. 

Niall nods. 

**

‘You think Harry’ll be pissed off with us?’

Nick wrinkles his nose. ‘Don’t talk about Harry while we’re naked together, thanks.’

Niall laughs. ‘Okay.’

‘In fact, I’d like to make the bedroom a Harry free zone.’

Niall looks around and thinks about how for a long time it must have been a very Harry-centric zone.

As if Nick can read his thoughts, he says ‘we never had sex in this bed.’

‘I wasn’t….’ Niall tries to falsely defend himself. 

‘Don’t lie. You can just about pull off jealousy. But not being honest with me is not a good look on you.’

‘I’m not jealous,’ Niall pouts. 

‘Yes you are,’ Nick says easily laughing. ‘I moved last year remember. Harry’s never been in this bed.’

Niall nods placated. ‘Ok, no more Harry talk.’

‘Thank you,’ Nick says, mouth opening as Niall starts to lean back in. They kiss for a long time after that, touching staying relatively innocent, just enjoying one another. 

‘Do you usually top?’ Niall asks, a while later.

‘I don’t really mind to be honest with you,’ Nick answers, completely unfazed by Niall’s personal and out of the blue question. ‘I’ve been with guys before that always want to top and guys that always want to bottom and guys that like to switch it up.’

‘What do you prefer?’

Nick looks at Niall. ‘Why are you so interested?’ 

He pauses for a moment. ‘Because, I can’t imagine ever wanting to top,’ he admits.

Nick laughs. ‘That’s because you think it’ll feel like fucking a girl.’ 

‘Do you think?’ 

‘I mean, I’ve never had sex with a girl so I can’t really truthfully tell you how different it is but a lot of boys have told me it feels nothing like it.’

Niall’s quiet. 

‘I like to please,’ Nick says and Niall looks over. ‘I like doing stuff in bed that my partner likes to do. That turns me on, however you wanna do it, that’ll be what I wanna do at that point. Stop overthinking it.’

‘Okay,’ Niall replies, clearing his throat. 

‘Now, let’s sleep. You prepared for my 5:30am alarm?’ 

‘Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine.’

**

Next thing Niall knows is said alarm and he feels like he shut his eyes four seconds ago. 

About twenty minutes pass while Nick showers, dresses and comes round to Niall’s side of the bed. 

‘You alive?’ he asks. 

‘Mm-hm.’

Niall feels Nick’s lips on his. ‘Be here when I get back won’t you?’ 

A warm feeling bubbles in Niall’s stomach. 

‘Yeah, if you want me.’

‘I do,’ Nick replies. ‘Stay naked.’

Niall grins sleepily and nods before Nick gives him one last minty kiss and leaves.


End file.
